Some people are born to rule, some people are born to lead, and then there are the people who change the world. Greta Thunberg is the one who was born to change. She is a Swedish environmental activist and a solo climate change campaigner. She started her campaign at the age of 15 and she is considered as a light of hope in the face of climate change. From a school strike for the future outside the Swedish parliament to uniting millions for global protests, her journey is an inspiration to many.
Greta isn’t a billionaire, nor she is a famous pop star or celebrity. She is not running any organisation, nor does she have any association with any political party. She is just an ordinary girl who wants to bring effective change in the world. Let’s take a closer look at her incredible story and the influence she had on the world.
BIOGRAPHY
Greta’s full name is Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg and she was born on 3 January 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden. Her mother is an opera singer Malena Ernman and her father Svante Thunberg was an actor. When Thunberg was eight years old in 2011, she claims to have learned about climate change for the first time and was worried about the lack of action. She stopped travelling by aeroplane as the gases emitted by planes caused global warming. She emphasized Vegan eating habits. Because of the depressing situation, the Swedish environmentalist stopped eating and talking a lot at the age of eleven and lost ten kilograms in two months. Eventually, she diagnosed with selective autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Asperger syndrome. Thunberg defined her selective autism as “only speaking when necessary” in one of her early speeches calling for climate action.
In November 2018 while addressing the audience in a TEDx Talk, she said
“I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, OCD and selective autism. That basically means I only speak when I think it’s necessary. Now is one of those moments”.
Before starting her campaign for a school strike, Thunberg battled depression for over four years. Her parents disapproved of her activity when she first began to protest. Although her father expressed disapproval of her skipping school, he also mentioned that we support her desire to take a stand. Consequently, she has two options: either protest and be pleased, or just sit at home and be unhappy. Her mother revealed her Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis to the entire Swedish public in 2015. They did this to support families going through a similar ordeal. Although Thunberg admits that having Asperger’s “has limited her before,” she refers to her condition as her “superpower” and does not see it as a weakness.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Greta gave a spike to her campaign for change through social media. When she protested in front of the Swedish Parliament, she asked her followers to take out their mobiles and start recording her. She wants to convey her message to people around the world. She is well-known on Twitter and often replies to influential personalities like Donald Trump. Today, her bold expressions, speeches and words are known globally. She has a huge followership around different continents and she mobilizes people from every background.
WIKI
She is a simple girl with an ordinary life, but greater aspirations and dreams. Greta has been seen wearing simple T-shirts and jeans with sneakers and her hair simply tied in a braid or sometimes open on various occasions. She mostly has serious expressions on her face and her eyes show her determination and willpower.
Real Name | Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg |
Nickname | Greta |
Birthday | July 3, 2003 |
Age | 21 years old |
Birthplace | Stockholm, Sweden |
Present Residence | Stockholm, Sweden |
Gender | Female |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Nationality | Swedish |
Mother Tongue | Swedish, English |
School | Franska Skolan, Sweden |
College/University | Honorary Doctorate Degree University of Helsinki’s, Theology Department |
Qualification | N/A |
Occupation | Environmental Activist |
Net Worth | N/A |
Motto | Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. |
Relationship Status | Single |
Religion | Catholic, Christian |
Debut | 2011 |
Height | 5 feet |
Weight | 45kg |
Eye Color | Ocean Blue |
Hair Color | Blonde |
ZODIAC SIGN
Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Capricorn is an earth sign and is well-known for its determination and greater cause. They have clear visions and are risk-takers. The people with these zodiac signs are analytical and logical. They have curiosity towards many things and prefer to discuss theories and formulas. Their nature also loves independence. Some of the famous Capricorn personalities are Joe Root, Charles Melton, Kim Taehyung and Brent Rivera.
FAMILY
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg’s father Svante Thunberg is an actor and her mother Malena Ernman is an opera singer. No wonder that she got such an adventurous name. Olof Thunberg, an actor and director, was her paternal grandfather. Thunberg shares her second name with the adventuring creation of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, better known as Hergé. She has a younger sister named Beata.
Father | Svante Thunberg |
Mother | Malena Ernman Thunberg |
Sister | Beata Thunberg |
Brother | N/A |
Uncle | Olof Thunberg |
EDUCATION
She gets her early education from a local school in Stockholm, Sweden. In Franska Skolan, Sweden she started her campaign. Every Friday, she skipped classes and did a “strike for climate” in front of the school which later became a global phenomenon. She hoisted the banner reading “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (School Strike for Climate) and distributed pamphlets during her strike outside the Swedish parliament, where she demanded more aggressive action against climate change. She went on to declare that unless Sweden cooperated with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, she would keep holding Friday school strikes in protest of the environment. Other students staged comparable demonstrations in their local areas not long after Thunberg’s initial school walkout in support of the climate movement.
RELATIONSHIP
She is young and single. Greta keeps her personal life private, and no information about her relationships is available to the public.
FRIDAY’S FOR FUTURE
Before Thunberg, a lot of individuals had attempted to communicate the need for quick action on climate change. Nobody has achieved greater success. Thunberg has succeeded in putting the climate catastrophe front and centre in people’s thoughts, as well as on the covers of newspapers. In 2018 every Friday, she started to strike and public speeches for which she became an internationally acknowledged solo climate activist. When she gave a speech at the United Nations, Greta’s effect started to take place in different countries and many students started strikes for the climate in the schools in their home countries.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM AND GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Greta’s activism endured international recognition after her strike day in front of the Swedish Parliament soon after the elections. She gained popularity for her blunt speeches and calculated words. Later she was contacted by the Swedish climate-focused social media company We Don’t Have Time (WDHT), which used her name and image to raise funds for a climate change campaign. Furthermore, the activism evolved from a climate change protest to participating in strikes, mobilizing followers and protestors and making public speeches. She also asked her followers to record her on mobile and spread her message to world leaders. In December 2018, Thunberg continued her school strikes, and after a powerful speech at the United Nations, she inspired thousands of students worldwide.
She also raised her voice against the National Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2020 exams in India. Thunberg supported the ongoing 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protest and was criticized by the BJP-led Indian government. Thunberg deleted a tweet linking to a campaigning toolkit for farmers, stating it was “outdated” and linked to a different one. The Indian climate activist who edited the toolkit was arrested under charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy.
A VOICE FOR CHANGE
Swedish Climate Activist is known for her orating skills. The speech that Thunberg gave at the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) plenary session went viral. The international leaders in attendance, according to her, “were not mature enough to tell it like it is.”She participated in several student strikes across Europe in 2019 and received invitations to speak at several parliaments and forums. In a speech at the World Economic Forum in January 2019, Thunberg said, “Our house is on fire.” She spoke before the parliaments of France, Europe, and Britain; in the latter instance, many right-wing MPs boycotted her. Pope Francis congratulated Thunberg and urged her to carry on her advocacy during their brief meeting.
In March 2019, Thunberg visited Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Spain. She addressed 25,000 people and said
“We live in a strange world where children must sacrifice their education to protest against the destruction of their future. Where the people who have contributed the least to this crisis are the ones who are going to be affected the most.”
POST-COVID ACTIVISM
Swedish environmentalist has been outspoken in her criticism of the British company Beowulf’s iron mining operations on Sámi territory. She also visited with the president of Ukraine to discuss environmental damage and oppose the Russian military invasion of that country. The European Parliament’s decision to designate nuclear and fossil fuels as “green” energy was met with criticism from Thunberg, who accused the body of being hypocritical and endangering a sustainable transition. She sued the Swedish government in November 2022 for its inaction on climate change. The Climate Book, a collection of writings from more than a hundred climate change specialists, was published by Thunberg in 2022. She demanded that German authorities halt the growth of a local coal mine during a speech during a demonstration in Lützerath, Germany, in January 2023.
GRETA EFFECT
It is widely acknowledged that Greta Thunberg’s influence on the global climate discussion has increased public awareness of climate change, especially among youth. We call this the ‘Greta effect’. Politicians such as Ed Miliband and Michael Gove have responded by admitting that climate change has to be a priority. The words “climate emergency” and “climate crisis” have been more popular since the beginning of 2019, according to Google Trends data. This increase peaked in 2006, coinciding with the premiere of Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth. In February 2019, Thunberg appeared on stage beside Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission at the time, emphasizing the necessity of allocating every fourth euro to the EU budget for climate change.
According to a YouGov survey conducted in Britain in June 2019, public concern over the environment has reached all-time highs. Affluent investors and philanthropists have contributed around $600,000 to help school strike organizations and Extinction Rebellion create the Climate Emergency Fund.
FAVORITES
Some of the favorite things of Swedish climate change activists are as follows:
Favorite Color | Pink, Green and Yellow |
Favorite Influencers | Parkland students in the US |
Favorite Actor | Leonardo DiCaprio |
Favorite Actress | Ellie Goulding |
Favorite Clothes | Jeans T-Shirt |
Favorite Food | Carrots |
Favorite Song | Never Gonna Give Up |
Favorite Hobbies | Reading Listening to Music Dancing |
Favorite Places | America Ukraine |
Favorite Pet | Dogs Moses (Golden Retriever) Roxy (Black Lab) |
BOOKS
She not only used her orating skills to address people about the horrors of climate change but she also used her pen and writing skills to mark her words in the history of change. Some of her books are:
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference | 2019 |
Our House Is on Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis | 2020 |
Green Ideas Slipcase | 2021 |
The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions | 2023 |
CONTROVERSY AND ARREST
According to the reports of BBC, Greta was found not guilty of breaching the law on February 1, 2024, when she disobeyed police orders to leave a climate demonstration. The trial judge declared there was “no evidence” of an offence after she and four other people were detained in October of the previous year. She was twice detained in 2023 while obstructing an oil transportation route in the Swedish port of Malmo. She was fined 2,500 krona ($240; £187) by a court in July of that year, and 2,250 krona ($206; £168) in October.
CRITICISM
As Donald Trump talks, Greta Thunberg watches. Trump referred to Time magazine’s nomination of Greta Thunberg as its award for Person of the Year as “ridiculous” in the image caption. A former US president, Donald Trump also made fun of her on Twitter after she received the Time magazine award. “Greta needs to work on her Anger Management problem,” he stated. “Greta, you need to chill. Her character was characterized as kind, but poorly informed, teenager” by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In early 2023, Greta was lured by controversial media figure Andrew Tate on X, who was formerly Twitted his listing of 33 automobiles and promised to provide her information about their enormous emissions. In response, she sent out a snarky tweet that received millions of likes and shares.
CURRENT POSITION OF CAMPAIGN
According to BBC, despite not having developed any particular environmental policies, Swedish Activist is recognized for having increased global public awareness of climate change, particularly among youth. This is referred to as “the Greta effect” by many pundits. Teenagers are using the “Greta effect” to make their opinions heard online.
“You have aroused the world,” naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough informed her. You have my sincere gratitude.”
AWARDS
The awards and achievements of Swedish-born Greta are as follows:
- Time magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018: Greta Thunberg.
- Fryshuset scholarship: Young Role Model of the Year.
- Nobel Peace Prize nomination: 2019 by Norwegian parliament deputies.
- Nobel Peace Prize nomination: 2020 by two Swedish lawmakers.
- Swedish Woman of the Year: 2019 by the Swedish Women’s Educational Association.
- Rachel Carson Prize: 2019 by the Belgian University of Mons.
- Goldene Kamera film and television awards: 2019 Climate Action Award.
- Fritt Ord Award: 2019 shared with Natur og Ungdom.
- Times 100: 2019 by Time magazine.
- Laudato si’ Prize: 2019 by the Milarepa Foundation of Chile.
- Honorary degree of Doctor honoris causa: May 2019.
- Ambassador of Conscience Award: June 2019.
- Geddes Environment Medal: July 2019.
- Right Livelihood Award: September 2019.
- International Children’s Peace Prize: October 2019.
- Nordic Council Environment Prize: October 2019.
- Time Person of the Year: December 2019.
- Nature’s 10, 2019: ten “people who mattered” in science.
- Forbes List of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, 2019.
- Human Act Award: 22 April 2020.
- Best in Activism (from Tech & Innovation category) at the 12th Shorty Awards.
- Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity: July 2020.
- Women in Youth Activism Award at the 2021 Women of Europe Awards.
INTERESTING FACTS
- The young activist was only 15 when she missed school to protest.
- She chose to bring change when she was only 8.
- Greta has been nominated for the 2019 and 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.
- Thunberg’s strike was inspired by American students who protested against guns and arms laws.
- Swedish environmental activist travelled on a solar and turbine-powered ferry to the USA in 15 days during her work break.
- Her family is well-known in the entertainment industry.
QUOTES
We must change almost everything in our current societies. The bigger your carbon footprint the bigger your moral duty. The bigger your platform the bigger your responsibility.
Solving the climate crisis is the greatest and most complex challenge that homo sapiens have ever faced. The main solution, however, is so simple that even a small child can understand it. We have to stop our emissions of greenhouse gases.
Homo Sapiens have not yet failed. Yes, we are failing, but there is still time to turn everything around. We can still fix this. We still have everything in our own hands.
We can no longer let the people in power decide what is politically possible. We can no longer let the people in power decide what hope is. Hope is not passive. Hope is not blah, blah, blah. Hope is telling the truth. Hope is taking action. And hope always comes from the people.
So, we can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change and it has to start today.
What is Greta Thunberg famous for?
She is famous for her climate change activism and her call for action against global warming.
What motivated Greta Thunberg?
She became a climate activist because she had always been concerned about the environment. Her growing anger at injustice served as a catalyst, and she was the leader of a group of young people who persuaded world leaders to take climate action at the right time by starting the appropriate dialogue.
Has Greta Thunberg been successful?
According to BBC, although she has not developed any particular environmental policies, she is recognized for having increased global public awareness of climate change, particularly among youth. This is referred to as "the Greta effect" by many pundits.
Does Greta Thunberg have a degree?
She completed her school and got a diploma in 2023, other than that she was also awarded multiple honorary degrees.